Rough idling and stalling of gasoline engines can be caused by an accumulation of deposits in the throttle body section of the carburetor where the deposits interfere with normal air flow and cause the fuel-air mixture to be excessively rich. It is generally recognized that the sources of deposits are contaminants in the intake air which come from dust and other particulate matter in the atmosphere as well as engine blowby.
One of the means for dealing with the problem of carburetor deposits and the consequent stalling or rough idling of the engine is the use of fuels containing additives which function as carburetor detergents and prevent build-up of deposits on the throttle plate and other parts of the carburetor. In addition to carburetor detergency, fuels must possess other properties which are provided by the use of additives. One of the most important of these is anti-rust protection of surfaces that are in contact with the fuel. The transportation and storage of fuel almost inevitably results in some water finding its way into the fuel. Condensation of water vapor in the atmosphere inside storage tanks is a very common source of water in fuels. For this reason, it is common practice to add to fuels materials which protect metal surfaces against corrosion. It is an object of the present invention to provide additive compositions for hydrocarbon fuels which are effective both as carburetor detergents and as corrosion inhibitors.